Endless conveyer



Sept. 18, 1934. F. E. wAssoN ENDLESS CONVEYER Filed Nov. 7, 1933 Patented Sept. 18, 1934 STATES UNETE ENDLES S CONVEYER Frederick E. Wasson, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to C. G. Sargents Sons Corporation, Graniteville, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 7, 1933, Serial No. 697,053

6 Claims.

This invention relates to endless conveyers of the apron or sectional type used ordinarily for carrying wool stock, cotton or like materials through drying or conditioning machines. In

C such conveyers, the sections which support the material are usually of wire netting or meshed fabric of this character and inasmuch as these sections are relatively Wide and relatively long, the sections must be supported at their middle portions against downward deflection relative to the links of the endless chains of the conveyer and particularly be supported at the ends ofthe sections to prevent these relatively wide ends from sagging.

The general object of my invention is to provide a conveyer of this character in which the middle portion of the conveyer is supported by flanges or brackets extending out from the side chains and in which the ends of the sections are formed to interdigitate with each other and are then bent or extended inward to thus constitute a unitary or integral brace or reinforcement which stiffens the ends of the sections to prevent the sagging of these ends relative to each other.

A further object in this connection is to provide additional stiffening or bracing means which are engaged with the angle iron brackets which support the middle portion of the section and which are formed to embrace the inwardly extending ends of the section and to provide brackets which embrace these bracing and stiffening members and support them upon the angle iron brackets which are attached to the links of the chain.

A further object is to so construct the sections that any one section may be readily removed from its engagement with the corresponding side links of the chainto thus permit a new section to be inserted when the old section is worn or needs repair.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

The novel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:--

Figure 1' is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a conveyer constructed in accordance with one form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation illustrating a conveyer constructed in accordance with a further embodiment of my invention;

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of a modified form of bracket such as is used in the structure shown in Figure 3.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawing, the side chains C are endless and formed of a series of connected elongated links 1. Adjacent links ofv a chain have their extremities connected by stud shafts 2, upon each of which is mounted a roller 3 for coaction with the usual trackway (not shown). Each of the links 1 carries on its inside face an elongated angle iron 4 providing a support for the side marginal portions of sec- 70. tion A of wire netting or equivalent material which, of course, bridges the space between the side chains of the conveyer. The angle iron 4 is disposed midway between opposite ends of the link but terminates short of the ends of the link to present no hindrance to the necessary articulation of the sections A when such sections pass around the peripheries of suitable drums or wheels for guiding and driving the conveyer.

Resting upon the lateral margins of each section A and overlying a corresponding supporting iron 4 are the lateral angle irons 5 which hold the lateral margins of the sections in place and provide the outstanding walls 6 which retain the material upon the conveyer. The angle iron 5 is held in position by bolts '7 or like fastening elements passing through the angle iron 5 through the margin of the section A and through the supporting iron 4. As shown in Figure 1, the ends of the side walls 6 overlap each other to provide a substantially continuous wall on each side of the conveyer and permit the conveyer to flex without breaking the continuity of this wall.

Each of the sections at its ends in the form of the invention shown in Figure 1 is rebent upon itself to form a loop a and then is extended downward, referring to the upper flight of the conveyer shown in Figure 1, preferably at less than a'right angle to the plane of the conveyer. The loops (1. of one section interdigitate with the loops a of the next succeeding or preceding section so that there is no break in the apparent continuity of the conveyer, these loops, of course, turning around the axial center of the stud shafts 2 and being held in engagement with each other by the paper pins 2*. These downwardly extending portions M extend the whole width of the section A and act to rigidify or brace the jointed ends of the sections which would be likely to'sag under the weight of material. To further rigidify these inwardly turned ends of the sections, each is enveloped in a U-shaped sheath 11 of sheet metal which is engaged at its ends by supporting brackets 9 as will now be stated.

I-Ield to each end portion of a supporting iron 4 by one of the bolts 7 or otherwise as may be preferred is a longitudinally. extending plateS which is formed at one end with the transversely extending bracket 9 substantially U-shaped in cross section to embrace the adjacent end of the reinforcing sheath 11 and support it. This bracket 9 is disposed entirely to the inner side of the flight or apron A but has its open end facing outwardly. This bracket 9 as illustrated in Figure 2 is of a width in excess of the width of the plate 8 to thus provide a relatively large area of engagement between the bracket 9 and the sheath 11 although this is not at alltimes essential.

This bracket 9 as is clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 snugly receives an end portion of the strengthening member M and its sheath l1 and acts to provide a rigid support at the end of the reinforcing portion and the reinforcing sheath so as to hold the ends of the section A from any sagging tendency. It is to be particularly noted that the member M is in no way secured to the bracket 9 but can be readily slipped therein or withdrawn therefrom during the assembling or disassembling of the conveyer structure.

In Figures 3 and 4 is illustrated an embodiment of my invention wherein the brackets 9' are arranged at the oppositeend portions of a sub stantially rigid, longitudinally extending strip 10 and which strip rests upon the supporting angle iron 4 with the marginal portion of the flight or apron A resting upon the applied strip 10. Each end portion of the strip 10' extends a desired distance beyond the adjacent end of the supporting iron 4' and the strip 10' is of such length as to assure the proper placement of the brackets 9' with respect to the reinforcing member M at each extremity of the flight or apron A.

It will likewise be seen from Figures-3 and 4 that only one end of each section A' isformed with the downwardly or inwardly extending re inforcing and rigidifying portion M and that the next adjacent section is bent into a U-form and interdigitated with the angular end of the preceding section and these sections held in jointed engagement with each other by the pin 12. It is, of course, necessary in Figure 1 that the inwardly extending ends of the section A should be disposed at an angle to each other as this permits the sections to flexm This is not necessary in Figure 3 because of the fact that there is only one reinforced end.

While I have illustrated the inwardly turned reinforcing portions M of the sections A as being enclosed in a protective and'rigidifying U-shaped sheath 11, I wish it to be understood that this sheath 11 might be omitted and that it is within the purview of my invention to have the U-shaped brackets 9 or 9 to fit snugly against and directly embrace the portion M or M.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that an endless conveyer constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it'may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A conveyer formed of a plurality of sections, each .section at at least one end being angularly bent inward to form a rigidifying brace extending across the end of the section, side chains composed of links, means operatively connecting the lateral margins of each section to the corresponding links of the side chains and supporting the margins, a pair of brackets for each section operatively carried by the side chains and having U-shaped ends embracing and supporting the adjacent portions of the angularly bent ends of the corresponding sections.

2. A conveyer formed of a plurality of sections, each section at its opposite ends being angularly bent inward to form rigidifying bracesextending across the ends of the sections, the ends of the sections outward of the braces being rockingly engaged with each other, side chains composed of links, means. operatively connecting the lateral margins of each section to the corresponding links of the side chains and supporting them thereon, and a; pair of brackets for each section operatively connected to the side chains and having U-shaped angularly bent extremities embracing and supporting the adjacent portions of the angularly bent ends of the corresponding sections.

3.'A conveyer formed of a plurality of sections, each section at at least one end being angularly bent inward to form a rigidifying brace extending across the end of the section, U-shaped members embracing the angularly bent ends of the sections extending the full length ofthe angularly bent ends, side chains composed of links, means operatively connecting the lateral margins of each section to the corresponding links of the side chains and supporting them thereon, and a pair of brackets for each section operatively mounted upon the side chains and-having angularly bent U-shaped portions snugly embracing the U-shaped members and supporting the adjacent portions of the U-shaped members and the angularly bent ends of the corresponding sections.

4. A conveyer formed of a plurality of sections, each section at at least one end being angularly bent inward to form a rigidifying brace extending entirely across the end of the section, side chains composed of links, angle irons attached to the confronting faces of the links and extending toward each other and supporting the lateral margins of the sections, and brackets disposed beneath the angle irons and detachably connected thereto and having laterally extending U-shaped portions embracing and supporting the adjacent portions of the angularly bent ends of thecorresponding sections.

5. A conveyer formed of a plurality of sections, each section at its ends being angularly bent inward to form a rigidifying brace extending across the ends of the section, side chains composed of links, irons carried by said side chains for supporting the lateral margins of the sections, brackets disposed inward of the sections and detachably engaged with said irons, each bracket having a longitudinally extending strip disposed between the corresponding margin of the section and the supporting iron therebeneath and detachably engaged with said iron and section, each bracket at its ends being formed with U-shaped portions extending laterally from the bracketand embracing the adjacent portions of the angularly bent ends of the corresponding sections.

6. A conveyer including lateral chains, each composed of links, sections disposed between said links and operatively supported at their lateral margins thereon, the ends of said sections approximating each other, bracing members ex- FREDERICK E. WASSON. 

